Paint, paint and then, more paint.

I have managed to, amongst other things, paint the second coat of undercoat on all of the skirting and architrave at long last. In addition, the inside of the main front door is single coated and the door mat is highly artistic! Tonight, I hope to second coat the front door and begin a first coat on the lounge door and inner door. We shall see...........

Not a failure but.......................

not a total success either. The terrace leak is improved considerably and the main roof leak seems to be OK but I am still not breathing gently yet. Time will tell.

Inching along

I checked the cement, very well set. I sprayed it with bitumen as an added water proofer. I crawled into the loft and found the leak above the stair well and sprayed that to within an inch of it's life. I emptied the drip bucket, just in case. I slid out of the loft on my knees and danglys, oooooouch! This morning, the heavens have opened. I am keeping everything crossed, apart from my danglys, in hopes of it all working.

Whew!

At the last minute, on the way home yesterday, I remembered to turn into Wickes and buy some materials with which to waterproof my home. I was looking for the exterior Polyfilla cement having used it successfully in the past. Didn't find it because I found something else first. Wickes do a small plastic pouch with powder in it that you top up with water, re-seal and massage into a cement mix. It's cheap, £3.50 ish and you can squirt it into place and then spread it with the supplied plastic tool. It did a very simple and quick job and I was well pleased with the result. The next heavy rain is due tomorrow so we shall see how well I have done then.

Oh Calamity!

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Again?

I managed to keep reasonably cheerful over the weekend until, on Sunday evening, the rain finally got the better of my roof and began to enter in three separate places. At nine o'clock yesterday evening, I was crawling into the loft to empty a bucket of rainwater. I should have taken the car keys out of my shirt pocket first though. One bruised nipple later, I did. The worst ingress, though, was back in the bedroom. The fix has stopped working yet again and needs to be given a serious talking to. I had to remove all the items on the top shelf of my bedside cabinet and drain them into a bucket. 

Cheeky monkey!

All the time I have been working on the new door, Hazel has be pestering me with, "When can I start to paint it?" Yesterday, I announced myself satisfied with the work and painting could now begin. Her response? "We can start tomorrow then." We?

Woooohoooo!

I bought the catch.
I fitted the catch.
I fitted the door handles.
It all works.
Next is to fit the two remaining draught strips and a bit of filling here and there.
Then, I hand over to the painter.

Oh dear, I have just broken an SDHC card. Not a lot on it apart from our visit to the aquarium..... It might not be completely lost but I suspect so.

Not so bad after all then!

I have spoken to several people now and they all agree that the National Marine Aquarium is a tiring place to walk around. I feel vindicated. I spent Saturday and Sunday working on the door again and I have nearly, but not quite, finished it now. The door itself and frame are done, but I have yet to fit the catch and keeper. I had bought a set but it seems either I bought the wrong one or the instructions on the packet are wrong. Whilst I suspect the latter, I am happy to carry the can as I should have checked anyway. So a swift trip into Wickes on the way home methinks.

I'm gonna get you little fishy!

Image via Wikipedia

..............................Cat in Red Dwarf.

I was at the National Marine Aquarium yesterday. Not such a big deal as it sounds as I live about a mile from it. Sally and I took Samuel for an afternoon out and, boy, did he have fun? He wanted to see everything at once and then go back to see it again. We all had a good time but I was totally knackered by the time we got around the first time. Thank goodness for aunties!

Fractionaly further forward

The skirting board has now stuck properly.
That's it, no more.

This time next year Rodney..........................

I may just have finished this job. Friday evening was a washout. Saturday was spent with Samuel and Hazel driving around the various shops we needed to visit and then trying to teach a little boy how to play snap. He calls it slap and gets bored after the first two or three cards have been laid. In the evening I was chatting to Russ so, whilst not a wasted day, it was a dead day for working on the door. Sunday was much the same until midday as Sal had been working the previous night and wasn't awake until midday. Then I managed to cut and fit the other inner panel and the top one and also do most of the filling. At this point, I had intended to fit the final couple of pieces of skirting board but discovered that the first piece was not quite stuck as well as I had hoped so I ended up making a better job of it, I hope.

Still going weak!

Well, no-one would ever say I was going strong.

I have fixed the frame on both sides now and the first edging strip is in and ready to be finished off. Tonight, I hope to fit the other side and the top. If I can then fit the first of the skirting boards on the inside I will be doing well. Then, tomorrow, the outer side of the frame and the skirting boards in there as well as the final pieces of skirting going up to the stairs and on the corner. Once these are fitted and stuck, they will need filling and sanding and then, finally, they can be painted. Of course, I still have to address the lumps on the plaster and re-paint the walls at all the points where I have damaged them by hacking out the old frame...................
Not to mention fitting the door handles and catch................

A deadly weekend.

Two whole days to fit a door and still not finished? Sadly,yes.

The problem is, as always, because we live in a 125 year old house. In those days, everything was bespoke and the frame of this door is set into the walls, the wood is original and I have tried, unsuccessfully, to remove it. So I have had to shave it down and make the frame fit the new door as I really don't want to mess with the door. I have managed to get the frame on the hinge side in and fixed and I have just hung the door. Now all I have to do is match the opposite side of the frame to the door by inserting some small slices of wood and then fit the top in a similar manner. Once all that is done, I just have to fit the door handles and catch.